Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory
Knoxville Neighborhood Advisory – Vol. 8, No. 14 – Tuesday, April 28, 2015
1. Sandy Gillespie Elected President of Kingston Pike Sequoyah Hills
2. Post Your Neighborhood News
3. Fifteenth Annual Vestival Celebrates Area History
4. Second Knoxville SOUP Seeks Applicants
5. Three Houses Up for Sale in Homemaker’s Program
6. Testify on Blighted Properties at the May Public Officer Hearing
7. Knoxville Accepts Challenge to Improve Bicycle, Pedestrian Safety
8. Neighborhood and Government Calendar
Published by the City of Knoxville’s Office of Neighborhoods to report news important to Knoxville’s residential neighborhoods. Deadline for news & calendar items: 5 p.m. Mondays.
1. Sandy Gillespie Elected President of Kingston Pike Sequoyah Hills
Sandy Gillespie has been elected president of the Kingston Pike Sequoyah Hills Association, his second time in that role. He replaces Sallie Namey, who remains on the board as first vice president.
The second vice president is another former president — Dennis Owen. Other officers are Chris Austin, secretary, and Debbie Jones, treasurer.
Committee chairs are Lisa Carroll and Peyton Drysdale, membership; Jim Johnston, newsletter; Chuck Burks and Chris Cherry, traffic calming; Ed Nicholson, Cherokee Boulevard; Lisa Walsh and Melinda Ethier, Talahi Park; Tom Midgett, government affairs; Jim Bletner, zoning; Judith Johnston, memorial trees; Brittany Bailey, new neighbors; Paula Herston, marathon; and Valerie Coleman, Labor Day picnic.
2. Post Your Neighborhood News
For neighborhood organizations, name recognition is important not only inside the neighborhood boundaries, but also beyond.
Post your neighborhood organization’s election results, projects, events and other news in this Neighborhood Advisory so that you can raise your profile with elected leaders, city and county government staff members, other neighborhood organizations, and all of the 1,000+ people who receive this neighborhood-focused newsletter each week.
Send your news to David Massey at [email protected] or call 215-3232.
3. Fifteenth Annual Vestival Celebrates Area History
The 15th Annual Vestival, staged by the Candoro Arts & Heritage Center, will be held Saturday, May 9, from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., on the grounds of the historic Candoro Marble Company at the corner of 681 Maryville Pike and 4450 Candora Ave.
Vestival is a festival for the community of Vestal in South Knoxville — and for the entire city. This is Vestival’s 15th year. In light of the anniversary, the event will honor and celebrate the people’s history of Vestal and surrounding communities with stories, artifacts, and images from the past.
Admission is free, but a $5 donation is requested to help programming. Visit http://candoromarble.org/ for a complete list of bands and other information, including park-and-ride locations.
4. Second Knoxville SOUP Seeks Applicants
South Knoxville Alliance (SKA) will hold its second Knoxville SOUP, a micro-funding event and dinner, on Saturday, May 16, at Ijams Nature Center.
Anyone interested in receiving funds for a project is encouraged to complete an application on www.KnoxvilleSOUP.org no later than May 9. From those that apply, four individuals or teams will be selected to present their project at the dinner, and they will be notified no later than May 13.
Artists are also encouraged to apply to have their art showcased at the event.
The suggested donation is $5.00 at the door, but more can be given. All donations collected at the door go to the project winner at the end of the evening. Proposals will be presented at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner. Votes will be tallied by 8:15 p.m., and the winner will be announced.
The first Knoxville SOUP, held last month, raised $412 for the rejuvenation of the Mary Vestal Park and Greenway Extension.
For more, email [email protected] or call 865-309-4020.
5. Three Houses Added for Sale in Homemaker’s Program
The City of Knoxville has recently listed three homes for sale in the Community Development Department’s Homemaker’s Program.
The homes are located in the Burlington, Parkridge and Oakwood Lincoln Park neighborhoods. They are:
*** 320 South Castle Street – Ranch-style single family home, approx. 70 years old, with 2BR/1BA at 769 s.f., basement for mechanical and storage at 225 sf.
*** 1812 East Glenwood Avenue — Traditional style single family home built in 2012 with 2BR/1BA at 882 sf and front & rear covered porches.
*** 177 Chickamauga Avenue — Ranch style single family home built in 2004 with 3BR/1BA at 880 sf.
The home on South Castle was acquired by the city after the Better Building Board certified it as blighted. The other two homes became available as the result of foreclosures on rehabilitation loans.
Under the Homemaker’s Program, the City offers vacant lots and lots with substandard structures for sale to individuals, non-profit organizations and businesses. These properties have been identified by the City for acquisition to further its mission to remove blight, redevelop neighborhoods and provide affordable housing opportunities. The purchaser will be required, in almost all cases, to construct a new dwelling on vacant parcels or rehabilitate existing structures.
Individuals can make an offer on a property by submitting an application. The sales agreement includes a provision that allows the City to take the property back if the new owner fails to make improvements to the property per guidelines.
See http://www.cityofknoxville.org/development/homemaker/ for a copy of the application, along with other details about the program.
6. Testify on Blighted Properties at the May Public Officer Hearing
Eighteen properties are on the agenda for the City’s next Public Officer Hearing at 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 1.
The Public Officer — David Brace, director of the Public Service Department — will hear testimony on buildings that inspectors contend are in violation of the city’s building codes. Testimony can also be made by the property owners, neighbors, neighborhood groups, and other stakeholders, such as lien holders.
The Public Officer then decides whether to issue an order requiring that the violations be addressed in a certain period of time. Failure by the owner to cure the problem may result in the boarding or demolition of a structure, or the cleanup of a dirty or overgrown lot, with costs billed to the owner. A property owner may appeal the Public Officer’s decision to the Better Building Board and, ultimately, to Chancery Court.
The properties to be heard for repair/demolition orders are: 514 Ault Street (including accessory structure), 116 Emmett Street, 1424 Fremont Place, 2423 East Glenwood Avenue, 120 Hinton Avenue (including accessory structure), 3746 Lilac Avenue, 3124 Linden Avenue, 616 Lindsay Place (including accessory structure), 3016 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, 204 Mayflower Drive, 123 Watauga Avenue, and 1017 Yellowstone Road (including accessory structures).
8525 Walbrook Drive will be considered for a confirmation of emergency repair order only.
If any of these properties are in your neighborhood, you or a representative of your organization may wish to attend the meeting to submit testimony about the impact of the property on the neighborhood.
The full May 1 agenda, with details on each property, can be found at www.cityofknoxville.org/plansreview/agenda_poh.pdf by close of business today.
7. Knoxville Accepts Challenge to Improve Bicycle, Pedestrian Safety
During her opening remarks at last week’s Tennessee Bike Summit, Mayor Madeline Rogero announced Knoxville’s participation in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Mayors’ Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets.
Launched in March by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, the Mayors’ Challenge calls on local elected officials across the country to take action over the next year to improve safety for bicycle riders and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
By joining the Challenge, Knoxville joins 207 other cities across the U.S. — including Chattanooga, Nashville and Memphis — where local leaders have publicly pledged to work to improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.
“We want all those who travel along our streets — no matter their age, ability or mode of transportation — to reach their destination safely,” Mayor Rogero said. “By participating in the Challenge, my administration pledges to continue the progress we’ve made in expanding infrastructure for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders.”
A team of representatives from the Knoxville Police Department, Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and the Knoxville-Knox County Safe Routes to School Partnership will work with City staff to coordinate Challenge-related action.
For the complete story, plus a listing of “complete streets” initiatives recently undertaken by the city, see http://www.cityofknoxville.org/Press_Releases/Content/2015/0424.asp.
8. Neighborhood and Government Calendar
Include your neighborhood-related event or meeting in this space. Call 215-3456.
Visit http://www.cityofknoxville.org/calendar/ for a complete list of meetings of various city boards and commissions. See the Community Events Calendar: http://www.cityofknoxville.org/events/events.pdf
If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to attend a City of Knoxville public meeting, please contact Stephanie Brewer Cook at [email protected] or 215-2034 no less than 72 hours prior to the meeting you wish to attend.
Tuesday, April 28 — 7 p.m.
City Council (Every Other Tuesday)
http://www.cityofknoxville.org/citycouncil
Agenda: http://www.cityofknoxville.org/citycouncil/agenda.pdf
Thursday, April 30 — 6:15 p.m.-7:45 p.m.
Public Forum: “Why East Knoxville is Dying from Lack of Voting”
E.V. Davidson Community Center located at 3124 Wilson Avenue
The Alliance House Community of Knoxville
www.ahck.org/ or www.facebook.com/allianceknox
De’Ossie D. Dingus Sr., 865-332-2677, [email protected]
Friday, May 1 — 9:30 a.m.
Public Officer Hearing – Neighborhood Codes Enforcement
(Usually held on the Friday following Better Building Board meetings)
The PO considers action on violations of city’s building codes.
Small Assembly Room, City County Building
Agenda: http://www.cityofknoxville.org/boards/betterbuilding.asp
Cheri Hollifield, 215-2119, [email protected]
Friday, May 1 — 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 2 — 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
City People Tour of 13 Downtown Homes (11 buildings)
$20 per person
www.citypeoplehometour.org
Saturday, May 2 — 8 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
Backyard Chicken Owners Seminar
Feeding & housing, infectious diseases, poultry parasites, naturally grown, etc.
Hollingsworth Auditorium, UT Institute of Agriculture Campus
https://vetmed.tennessee.edu/ce/Pages/Backyard-Chicken-Owners-Seminar.aspx
Contact 974-7264 or [email protected]
Saturday, May 2 — 1 p.m.
Boright Area Neighborhood Watch (Quarterly)
3004 Boright Drive
Lola Alapo, 525-1520, [email protected]
Monday, May 4 — 1:00 p.m.
East Knoxville Community Meeting (First Mondays)
Speakers: Art Cate of KCDC and Ann Victoria of KAT
Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway
Michael Covington, 865-274-7958, [email protected]
Monday, May 4 — 4 p.m.
Love Towers Fellowship Association (First Mondays except holidays)
Love Towers Community Room; 1171 Armstrong St.
Bill Jackson, 221-4402
Monday, May 4 — 6:30 p.m.
Parkridge Community Organization (First Mondays except holidays)
Cansler YMCA, 616 Jessamine St.
Jerry Caldwell, 329-9943
Monday, May 4 — 7 p.m.
Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association (First Mondays)
Community Club House, 916 Shamrock Ave. at Henegar St.
Bill Hutton, 773-5228, [email protected]
Tuesday, May 5 — 4:30 p.m.
Dandridge Avenue Neighborhood Watch (First Tuesdays)
Beck Cultural Exchange Center, 1927 Dandridge Ave.
Lawrence Washington, 524-4498
Tuesday, May 5 — 6 p.m.
Mechanicsville Community Association (First Tuesdays)
Fairview Recreation Center, 1628 Dora St.
Charles Wright, 637-1802
Tuesday, May 5 — 6-7 p.m.
Norwood Neighborhood Watch – 6 p.m.
Norwood Homeowners Association – 7 p.m.
Monthly on a Tuesday: May 5, Jun 2, Jul 14, Aug 11, Sep 8
New Hope Presbyterian Church, 1705 Merchants Road
Lynn Redmon, 688-3136
Wednesday, May 6 — Breakfast – 7:30 a.m. Meeting – 8 a.m.
East Towne Area Business & Professional Association (First Wednesday)
Neighborhood Residents and Leaders encouraged to attend
New Harvest Park Community Building
Chair, Justin Sterling, [email protected]